1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spectator seating systems and in particular to those systems that can be reconfigured for viewing events in multi-purpose facilities. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable arena system with a variable rise vertically retractable platform assembly.
2. Background Art
Most leisure facilities today such as arenas and auditoriums are designed to accommodate multiple tenants to maximize revenue potential. It is not unusual for a facility to have a sporting event in the evening, a trade show the next morning and a concert later that same night.
The requirement to accommodate multiple tenants creates numerous problems for the movable seating assemblies located in the exhibition areas between the fixed seating and the event floor. Different events require different focal points and varying seating requirements. Riser heights on seating platforms must be able to change to provide optimum sight lines. The size of event floors, like basketball and hockey, are subject to change at each individual event. The first row of the seating assemblies sometimes might have to be elevated above the dasher to allow additional seating assemblies to be placed in front to make the seating continuous to the smaller event floor.
With two events scheduled in the same day, conversion time becomes critical. The seating equipment must be designed to minimize set-up time and labor costs. Also, the seating in the front area of the facility is closest to the event and demands the highest ticket price. The seating systems must be designed with integral chairs that are equal to or better than the chair used in the fixed seating to justify the higher seating price.
Attempts have been made to solve these problems with telescopic seating. One such method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,789 (""789). According to this patent, a plurality of telescopic movable rows supported by a wheeled wagon on each end are expanded outwardly one after another from their stored position. A number of side-by-side seats stored horizontal on the rows are raised up creating a spectator-seating system. To assure that each spectator sitting on his seat has optimum sight lines for viewing an event, each column supported by a wheeled wagon is provided a floor height adjusting mechanism.
The mechanism of the ""789 patent is constructed of threaded shafts, pulleys, belts, sprockets, chains and a motor. However, this design has several problems. The floor height adjusting mechanism, coupled with the wheeled wagon, has many moving parts and makes this system expensive. It is also difficult to maintain alignment both vertically and horizontally with adjacent platforms. And, because the system is telescopic, the rows of seats must fold down for storage, requiring a chair with a very narrow profile. Thus, the higher priced front seats are typically not as comfortable as the wider fixed seats.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,001 uses two sets of telescopic platforms with each set having a different pitch to change the angle of view. The platforms are oppositely faced and attached to a central support structure. To change the angle of view, the attached chairs are folded down and the seating tiers are retracted inwardly, where upon they are placed on a dolly and rotated 180 degrees and then re-opened exposing the seating tiers with a new pitch. This design is very limited in providing solutions to previously stated problems. The system is expensive, and twice as many chairs and platforms are required. Conversion time to change from one event to the other is very labor intensive and time consuming, and the chairs must fold down for storage again resulting in a very narrow profile.
What is needed is a simple and easy-to-operate portable arena seating system. The device should allow variable rise in order to accommodate the arena and event requirements. The system must be deployable in a short time period with minimal labor. The seating on the portable system must allow for high quality comfortable seating. The system should have a low profile in the retracted state for storage and transport.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the aforementioned background. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a variable rise vertically retractable arena seating assembly that is entirely free from the problems inherent in the conventional prior art seating systems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of parallel stepped seating platforms attached to a vertically retractable support. Due to the low profile of the assembly when it is in its fully retracted state, it can be easily stored, The assembly can employ wheels and be wheeled from the storage cavities of the facility to the desired location.
In one embodiment, chairs of any design are rigidly attached to the platform and ready for use as soon as the assembly is positioned.
And a further object is to provide a vertically adjustable arena seating assembly wherein the plurality of parallel platforms are programmed, having at least four stepped risers of varying heights to reconfigure the facility for viewing multiple events. A non-elevated high rise profile for viewing events such as hockey. An elevated low rise profile for viewing events such as basketball. And, a non-elevated low rise profile to allow the assembly to be moved into storage cavities of the facility and a zero rise for concert events where some of the assemblies are converted to a stage
Another object of the invention is to minimize conversion time and labor. Using the present invention eliminates the time required to fold the chairs down. It also eliminates the folding of platforms retracted horizontally to change from one event to the other.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an elevating means for the vertically adjustable arena seating assembly such that the lower support structure is inter-connected to the upper support structure by a scissors mechanism. There is an outer scissors lever of the scissors mechanism, which is rotatably connected to the lower support structure on a first end and slidably connected to the upper support structure on the second end. There is also an inner scissors lever of the scissors mechanism, which is rotatably connected to the upper support structure on a first end and slidably connected to the lower support structure on a second end. An upper support adjusting means for vertically adjusting the upper support structure is provided, wherein the upper support adjusting means engages the second end of the inner scissors to adjust the upper support structure.
Yet an additional object of the inventions is a vertically adjustable arena seating assembly further comprising an automatic lock to hold the upper support structure at a desired height wherein the automatic lock is positioned by hydraulic means.
Yet another object of the invention is to allow a single motor drive system to control the operation of the elevating means, where the means of operating is a motor connected to a hydraulic pump that engages a hydraulic ram assembly.
And, an object is an elevating means that not only provides the potential energy used to drive the floor height adjusting mechanism, but it also allows the first row of the assembly to be elevated above the floor to allow the placement of additional seating assemblies in front of the elevated unit to make the seating continuous to a smaller event floor. Yet another object is a vertically adjustable arena seating assembly further comprising a means of simultaneously unlocking the plurality of platforms to change the riser heights of the assembly.
Another object of the invention is to provide a floor height adjusting mechanism that does not require a powered mechanical device on every platform to change the riser heights. The present invention provides for a floor height adjusting mechanism that uses a combination of the force of gravity and the elevating means of the upper support structure to move the elements of the floor height adjusting mechanism up and down when the center of gravity of the floor height adjusting mechanism is changed. The elements of the floor height adjusting mechanism comprise an inner frame, an outer telescopic frame assembly and a program support with locking plates. The inner frame is solidly connected at the top to the plurality of platform and slidably attached at the bottom to the outer telescopic frame. It uses a program support that is housed inside the inner frame to provide a long position and the base of the outer telescopic frame for a short position. The outer frame is a telescopic column assembly with the inner column solidly connected at the base to the upper support structure and the outer telescopic column slidably engaged with the inner support frame at the top.
And another object is a vertically adjustable arena seating assembly further comprising a plurality of aisle steps on each of the plurality of platforms. The aisle steps create a uniform step from one platform to the next when the platform heights exceed building codes.
An object includes a method of adjusting the plurality of platforms from a fully retracted state to a platform assembly with a non elevated first row, with all remaining rows having a high rise. Such a method comprises the steps of elevating the upper support structure and lifting the plurality of parallel platforms with all the inner frames of the adjusting mechanisms in their short position. In the short position the locking plates can simultaneously engage the locking slots at the tops of the program supports that have extended by the force of gravity to the base of the inner frame supports providing a long position for the inner frame. As the upper support structure is retracted, the program supports move down and the bases sequentially make contact with the lower support structure from top to bottom. When contact is made, the inner frame becomes static in a high rise position. As the outer frame continues to move down the base of the inner frame, it makes contact with top of the outer telescopic frame, forcing the outer telescopic frame to expand upward to support the high rise position of the inner frame.
Yet another object is a method of adjusting the plurality of platforms from a non elevated high rise position to a position having an elevated first row with the remaining rows having a low rise. Such a method comprises the steps of elevating the upper support structure allowing the inner frame of the floor height adjusting mechanism to sequentially move down from bottom to top and come to a static position at the base of the outer telescopic frame leaving the plurality of platforms in an elevated low rise position.
Another object is a method of adjusting the plurality of platforms from an elevated low rise position to a vertically retracted low-rise position for storage. This method comprises the steps of unlocking the program supports and lowering the upper support structure whereby when the program supports make contact with the lower support structure they telescope inside the inner support frames leaving the plurality of platforms in a low rise and fully retracted position.
An additional object is a method for changing the plurality of platforms to a zero rise to convert the assembly to a stage for concert events. This method requires special adjustable program supports with additional locking slots and manual positioning of the locking plates.
To change the plurality of platforms from the fully retracted position, the plurality of platforms are lifted by the elevating means, allowing the program supports to extend down by the force of gravity, positioning the top such that it can be locked or unlocked from the inner support frame. On the top platform the locking plate remains in the unlocked position and the program support is manually adjusted to a length less than the length of its own inner frame. On the platform second from the top, the locking plate is locked and the program support is manually adjusted to have a length that will provide the same elevation as the top platform. On the platform third from the top the locking plate is locked and the program support is manually adjusted to have a length that will provide the same elevation as the top platform. The first row is elevated to a height equal to the other three by a scissors mechanism driven by a slave hydraulic ram and held in place by a manually positioned swing down program support. As the upper support structure is lowered, the bases of the program supports make contact with the lower support structure adjusting the platforms with equal heights.
An object includes a variable rise vertically retractable arena seating assembly, comprising an upper support structure interconnected to a lower support structure, wherein the upper support structure is oriented over the lower support structure. There is a means for vertically elevating the upper support structure from a retracted- position to an elevated position over the lower support structure imparting potential energy in the upper support structure. A plurality of platforms are on the upper support structure, and there is a floor height adjusting mechanism having a means of adjusting a riser height of the platforms using the potential energy from the upper support structure.
Additionally, an object is a variable rise vertically retractable arena seating assembly wherein the lower support structure is inter-connected to the upper support structure by a scissors mechanism, wherein an outer scissors lever of the scissors mechanism is rotatably connected to the lower support structure on a first end and slidably connected to the upper support structure on a second end. An inner scissors lever of the scissors mechanism is rotatably connected to the upper support structure on a first end and slidably connected to the lower support structure on a second end. Finally, there is an upper support adjusting means for vertically adjusting the upper support structure, wherein the upper support adjusting means engages the second end of the inner scissors to engage the scissors mechanism and vertically adjust the upper support structure.
An object includes a variable rise vertically retractable arena seating assembly wherein the upper support adjusting means is a motor connected to a hydraulic pump that engages a hydraulic ram assembly. And, a plurality of wheels attached to the lower support structure.
Another object is a variable rise vertically retractable arena seating assembly, further comprising a plurality of seats attached to each of the plurality of platforms, wherein the seats continuously remain in an active position.
Yet another object is a variable rise vertically retractable arena seating assembly, further comprising a means for locking the upper support structure at a specific height.
Another object is a single point means for simultaneously positioning the program support locking plates.
An object is a method of vertically adjusting platforms for arena seating, comprising the steps of raising an upper support structure, thereby imparting potential energy to the support structure, adjusting the platforms, wherein a program support mechanism establishes a height of each platform, locking the program support mechanism at that height, and lowering the upper support structure, wherein the program support mechanism contacts the lower support structure, thereby raising the platform upwards relative to the upper support structure.
An object is a method of vertically adjusting platforms for arena seating, further comprising the step of raising the upper support structure to position the platforms at a elevated low rise position.
A further object includes a method of vertically adjusting platforms for arena seating for a non elevated first row with all remaining rows having a high rise position, comprising the steps of elevating the upper support structure, locking simultaneously the program support mechanism, lowering the upper support structure, and allowing the base of the program support mechanism to sequentially make contact with the lower support structure causing the inner support frame to become static in a high rise position.
A final object is a method of elevating the upper support structure, adjusting elements of the floor height adjusting mechanism with equal heights, activating a first platform lifting device, deploying a first row program supports, lowering said upper support structure, and leaving the plurality of platforms with a zero rise position.